This is How Families Go
by Diary
Summary: Bobby Talercio, age 37, malignant tumour, 34% success rate. Complete. Edited slightly.


Disclaimer: I do not own As the World Turns, Ugly Betty, or Glee.

* * *

This is how Reid's day starts out:

He walks into his office and finds his sixteen-year-old distantly related cousin practising line readings with a similarly-aged brown boy.

"Hi," Austin says, giving him a tentative wave. "Um, I don't know if you remember, but my mom knew your uncle. Uh, a nurse let me and Justin in, after she took our picture, finger-printed us, and burst into tears. It was weird, actually."

"It might help if you tell him your name," the brown boy, who Reid assumes is Justin, suggests, earning him a smack in the head.

"Right, I'm Austin. Austin Fitzgerald. And this is Justin Suarez."

"Yeah, I know who you are; your father emails me photos every year. What are you and this boy I don't know doing in my office?"

"Justin's stepdad has a brain tumour, and he needs help."

"Do your parents even know you're here? His? They may not have my skill, but I refuse to believe there aren't competent doctors in New York who could-"

"Okay, first of all," the kid, Justin, snaps, "his mom is in Washington. Shouldn't you know that? My dad is dead, and no, the rest of my family doesn't know I'm here. I told him this was a stupid idea, but- look, Bobby, my stepdad, is dying. What he needs is experimental, and insurance won't cover it." To Austin, he says, "Can we go now?"

Reid hates families, especially his own.

Before he can say anything, Austin looks at Justin in puzzlement.

"I know, you're trying to help," Justin says, softer, taking Austin's hand, "but the nurse wouldn't have acted like that if he was a nice person. Your dad even said that it'd be a cold day in hell before he'd do anything for your family. Let's just get out of this godforsaken town and do something fun before the others find us and lock us in a dungeon."

"They can't lock us in something they don't have."

"Oh, please, do a little work on your attic, and instant dungeon. Of course, Mom may just kill me with scissors."

Reid hates families, especially his own, but he thinks he might find this Justin kid tolerable. Snapping his fingers, he says, "Annoying pint-sized delinquents, I have one question: Do you have enough money to buy snacks from the vending machine?"

The nurses and orderlies have banded together to keep him from coming within ten feet of them, and Luke, showing his usually hidden sadistic streak, has refused to take pity, finding it funny.

Reid would like to see an orderly or nurse stop these two cute-as-buttons little boys buying candy. Never mind that Austin, at least, is almost seventeen and Justin is dressed in an outfit that would give a clown a headache, he can tell they're both the type that have a significant portion of the population cooing over them. And he really wants some candy.

"Er, yes," Justin answers as he looks at him suspiciously.

…

After he's gotten his sugary fix, Reid looks at the notes they brought and asks questions.

Bobby Talercio, age 37, malignant tumour, 34% success rate.

"Alright," he says, "tiny clown child, vacate my office so that I can talk to Austin."

"I'll be right outside," Justin says, giving Austin a brief kiss.

That answers that question.

Once Justin's gone and closed the door, Austin asks, "Will you help?"

"Tiny clown child, he's important enough that you'd run away from home?"

Austin laughs. Seeing Reid's look, he manages to pull himself together. "Sorry. Just, I have a cousin, Sebastian Smythe, he's closer in the family tree, and wow, are you a lot alike."

"Right," Reid says, briefly remembering reading a status update on FaceBook about Smythe junior almost blinding a boy and getting caught in a steroid scandal.

He has even less use for the Smythe side of his family than he does the side Austin comes from. Neither side was there for him when he had to deal with his abusive uncle or for anything important in his life. He didn't get birthday cakes or presents; he didn't get to drive until he was able to pay for his car and the lessons and driving test himself; no one but him cared when he got into Harvard two years early, and whenever he's been too sick to work, he's been lucky if he had a sympathetic neighbour willing to take his sarcasm and yelling around.

As a rule, Reid doesn't believe in feeling sorry for himself. When he was still in the stage of wondering if putting untraceable poison in Luke Snyder's coffee might truly be a viable option, he almost punched the annoying kidnapper for suggesting his lack of a happy childhood was responsible for who Reid is. Reid is who he wants to be (except for the part where he wants to be a better version of himself), and who he is who he chose to be. His family gets no credit for the good or bad.

Speaking of Luke, Reid doesn't even have to wonder what he'd except Reid to do with Talercio.

"I didn't run away from home," Austin continues. "Bobby's a great dad to Justin, and the Suarezes are awesome people."

"Okay," Reid says, standing up, "I'm not playing baby-sitter. If you can convince your boyfriend's stepdad to come here, I'll help him. I'm not going to New York. Now, I couldn't care less what you and tiny clown child do, but get out my office and don't let me catch you hanging around the hospital."

Austin makes a move, and Reid quickly holds his hand out. "No hugs."

"Thank you," Austin says, giving a grin that makes Reid feel just a little bit sorry for Justin Suarez.

…

This is how Reid's afternoon begins:

A tall, loud woman with big hair, sharp nails, and scary stilettoes bursts into his office while he and Luke are having lunch, yelling about her baby.

Reid doesn't help himself by saying, "Let me guess, tiny clown kid's mother?"

After everything is mostly settled (and Reid has a black eye), Luke glares. "Your nephew is in town, and you didn't tell me? Your sixteen-year-old nephew is here, and you just let him and another kid who's also not from here run around? Seriously?"

"First of all, Austin is my distantly related cousin. Aside from a common, drunken Irish ancestor, we're not even on the family tree together. Second of all, I'm not a babysitter. If they can hop on a plane and gain unauthorised access to my office, it's a safe guess they can navigate this hellhole town without an escort."

Luke continues to look at him.

Sighing, he says, "No, I didn't think to call you. If it helps, I did think about what you'd expect me to do, and I've agreed to help tiny clown kid's stepdad."

"A little," Luke says, half-exasperated, half-proud. Reid isn't sure how that tone of voice can still make him feel so warm inside. Luke reaches over, pulling him into a quick kiss.

Oh, yeah. That's why.

Sometimes, Reid can't help but think, 'Look how pathetic you've become, Oliver. Didn't you get over this in med school?"

No, he didn't. He may be getting involved with another person who utterly destroys him, but Reid's never been one to play things safe.

"I need to talk to Mrs Talercio alone," he says, patting Luke's cheek.

…

The hairdresser from hell mutters about him in Spanish for several minutes.

When she stops, he says, "Mrs Talercio, I can help your husband, if he comes here. I'm not going to New York."

"I don't know anything about you."

"I'm the best doctor for what he has. Your tiny clown child's boyfriend made the right choice in coming here."

He doesn't tell her how only thirteen doctors have a chance of saving her husband's life and how much he's been wanting a case like this for some time. Apparently, some of Luke's training has succeeded.

"What did you call my son," she demands, suddenly brandishing her stiletto, again.

"Lady, calm down," he orders. "Are you colour-blind? Regular blind? Do you otherwise have some sensory issue that prevents information transferring from your eyes to your brain? Granted, your son is average height, but that doesn't have the same ring. His clothes are ridiculous."

"He's expressing himself!"

"I don't care. The only thing I care about when it comes to you, your colourful kid, and my distantly related cousin is your husband's brain tumour. Unless you can pay close to a million dollars, on top of other expenses, no doctor qualified to take this will. If you manage to convince an unqualified one to take it, your husband will die sooner than he already is. I'm willing to take the case on the condition he comes to me. Do you understand, or do I need to get a translator in here?"

"Screw you," she mutters, storming out.

…

Later, Justin and his mother return.

"Mom, what do you have to say," Justin says, firmly.

She grits her teeth, and Reid has to wonder if she's kicking herself for instilling manners and civility and all the other stuff he's never had any use for into her kid. Occasional bouts of sassiness aside, Justin seems like very much like a brown boy next door. This only leads him to wonder what Austin, also the boy next door, is doing with him.

It reminds him too much of Luke and Noah.

"I apologise for my outburst," she says, her tone revealing how truly sorry she isn't. "We do need your help, and I would be very grateful if you'd provide it. Just tell me what to do so that my husband has the best chance out there, okay?"

…

This is how Reid's night begins:

The hairdresser from hell and her tiny clown child are staying at the Lakeview, courtesy of Luke.

Austin is not staying at the Lakeview. Austin is staying in Reid and Luke's apartment at Luke's insistence.

"I love pizza," Austin says, stealing Reid's slice.

The child will die.

"So, Austin," Luke says, a bit awkwardly, "what sort of stuff are you into?"

Reid doesn't bother telling Luke there's no need to be nervous. Both Austin and Justin had gaped when he first came in, exchanging looks. When he'd kissed Reid, they'd both given Reid the 'you landed him, seriously' look. Reid wouldn't have been near as disturbed if it had been anyone else but his distantly related cousin and his distantly related cousin's fashion challenged boyfriend.

"I-" Austin swallows. "Mostly drama. That's how me and Justin met. I believe in things like aliens and the paranormal; Justin mostly rolls his eyes, but he got me a subscription to this awesome magazine that analyses stuff like that. I like sports, but I don't play for my school or anything. Justin's-"

"Here's a challenge," Reid interrupts, ignoring Luke elbowing him, "tell us something that doesn't come back to your boyfriend."

"Okay," Austin says, shrugging. "My mom and dad got divorced when I was younger; I don't even remember how old I was. When I was twelve, she moved to Washington. I haven't seen her in person since I was fourteen. I don't like Sebastian- my cousin," he adds, for Luke's benefit, "but I like one of his friend's. I didn't even know you existed until a week ago. When I was fourteen, I was in a different drama class, and I kissed a friend, which I know wasn't cool. He punched me, and then, turned everyone against me. I thought the punch was fair, but I don't get why he had to do that."

Should have known better, Reid reflects, as Luke starts to suggest Austin and Justin visit the farm. Fitzgerald, Oliver, or Smythe, the one thing that connects all of them is that no one pushes them around. Reid learned that young, and while Austin seems to have a good relationship with his dad, at least, he's learned it, too. The FaceBook statuses on Sebastian show the same. Be a bully, be neutral, but never be a victim.

It's all crap, too.

"That would be awesome," Austin says. "Justin's never ridden a horse before. I did when I was six, but I don't remember it that well. So, what's the story between you two?"

"Oh, kidnapping, blackmail, accusations of malpractice," Reid answers. "Everything that points to a happy, healthy rom-com story. Except for the fact where rom-coms are anything but, of course."

"Reid!" Sighing, Luke says, "Before your cousin, I was with a man named Noah Mayer. Noah had an accident that made him go blind; Reid wasn't interested in the case, and I did some things that I wasn't supposed to and that I'm not exactly proud of to get him to come help Noah. Noah and I were on-and-off, always having problems, and I started to fall for your cousin."

"Cool," Austin says. "I'm glad you two found each other. Can we play video games later?"

"Luke can play with you," Reid says.

Austin adores Luke, and Luke adores kids. He's good with them. Justin had obviously adored Luke, too.

Reid may find kids more tolerable than he does most adults, but he doesn't want them. Luke does. Yet another reason Reid has no use for his family: They make him realise things he should have already realised.

Later, after Austin has fallen asleep on the couch and been manhandled into the guest room by Luke, Luke crawls into bed. "I can tell something's up," he whispers, kissing Reid's neck and causing a shiver. "What is it?"

"You're good with him."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"You really want kids, don't you?"

"Reid," Luke says, gently, snuggling closer, "yes, I've always wanted children, but right now, that's not a priority. I'm finally getting my life together. Focusing on that and you is what's important."

"Yeah," Reid says, reaching up to stroke his hand, "but once you get to where you want to be-"

"I want to be here, with you, and I am. Look, I can't say that I won't look into having kids in the future, and I- don't know where that will leave us if it happens. But right now, I'm not prepared, and I recognise that. Don't worry just yet, okay?"

"Okay," Reid agrees, rolling over to kiss him.

…

"Thanks for doing this, man," Bobby Talercio says, shaking his hand.

"I think I might like your tiny clown child," Reid answers. "Your wife, on the other hand, terrifies me."

"Yeah," Bobby says, smiling and wincing at the same time. "I'm sorry. Me and Hilda, we both do stupid things when it comes to the people we love. Apparently, it's a family trait," he says, and Reid knows he's not referring to Justin taking after the hairdresser from hell. "I guess I shoulda realised that sooner."

Nodding, Reid looks at his chart. "Now, about the side-effects-"

"Look," Bobby interrupts. "Before you say it: I know you didn't ask, but I'm the patient, and this is important. I've done a lot of idiotic things in my life. When Hilda was pregnant, I was in jail for most of it, and I didn't come around when I got out. For years, my father-in-law has thought I'm a no-good thug. I got a second chance last year. I want as much time with my wife and stepson and father-in-law as I can get. If this surgery is going to permanently change me or make it where I can't provide for them, even though Hilda will probably never let me touch her again, I'm not doing it. I'm going to call the chipmunk, uh, my sister-in-law, and see if she can come back from England or if we need to see about going there. I'm sorry if we've wasted your time, but getting as much time with my family is what I want."

"I understand," Reid says. "You may or may not be able to regrow your hair back, and you can't go back to work right away. You might need glasses, but I think that's acceptable, don't you?"

"Yeah," he answers. "But this means I get to build a life with my family?"

"Mr Talercio, provided the surgery is successful, and it should be, because I'm the one who's going to be performing it, you'll be fine. No changes in personality, and once your body and brain reset and reconnect, there shouldn't be any drastic changes in your physical functions. You aren't going to be able to go back to work straight away, which I need to stress, but once you fully recover, there shouldn't be any further issues. I promise."

"Alright, doc. I trust you."

"A wise decision," Reid comments.

…

Somehow, Reid ends up in the park with Austin while Luke, Justin, and the rest of the crazy family are who knows where.

"Thanks again for agreeing to do this," Austin says, feeding a duck.

"I'm getting paid," Reid reminds him. "This isn't charity or familial affection."

Austin shrugs. "Bobby's going to live."

Bobby is going to live, because while Reid has only done this type of surgery once, he knows he could do it drunk. Still, something about the confidence in Austin's voice strikes him. "That's what I said."

Looking up, Austin says, "Justin thinks I'm cocky sometimes, but I'm not. I just know what I can do, and I don't let fear and stuff stop me."

"Yeah," Reid answers. "I am cocky, but otherwise, same. We're not bonding," he adds. "In med school, a guy I liked punched me, too."

"What happened?"

"We ended up getting involved. I don't recommend it."

"I kissed a girl that Justin thought he liked just to hurt him. Not good."

"No, it's not," Reid agrees. "Well, kid, I hope you don't end up doing something really stupid."

"Tell me about the guy from med school."

"He punched me, he insulted my sexuality, and I insulted his intelligence and the validity of membership to the human race. We argued all the time in class, but there was something there, and once I acknowledged my feelings, I wanted to make him happy. It- was one of the most important things in my life, making sure he was happy and felt loved. It went bad, and I swore I'd never get involved with someone who had that much power over me again."

"Sebastian once insulted a suicidal teenager. I mean, he didn't know he was suicidal, but."

"The friend of his you like?"

"Yeah. Do you think it's bad that we feel like this for Justin and Luke?"

Reid sighs. "I wish I knew, but I don't. It goes against our nature to play it safe, but survival is mixed in. Don't tell me you think you love him."

"I do," Austin says with a shrug. "No offence, but I hope what happened to you doesn't happen to me."

"Me too," Reid answers as he puts his arm around Austin's shoulders and squeezes.

"Is this a-"

"Absolutely not."

"Alright," Austin agrees, and Reid knows without looking that his cousin has that infuriating grin on his face.


End file.
